Tennessean happyspeak

[TigerVols]

Every buzzword known to man can be found here:

http://www.tennessean.com/story/news/local/2014/08/05/tennessean-unveils-bold-new-structure-for-newsroom/13622987/

 

[Morris816]

Reading just the first few paragraphs has already got a "translating corporate bull**** response" writeup dancing through my head, along these lines.

"We are bringing dynamic changes to our newsroom."

Translation: "We are cutting jobs and laying off people, while making those who remain do more work, while having to train the cheaper replacements we brought in."

 

[BTExpress]

We're adding a reporter to cover University of Tennessee athletics,

They didn't have one?

At least one of my former South Florida colleagues seems to be getting one heck of a promotion.

 

[Starman]

We're adding a reporter to cover University of Tennessee athletics,

They didn't have one?

At least one of my former South Florida colleagues seems to be getting one heck of a promotion.

How bold.

 

[BTExpress]

FWIW, the UT job was not the promotion I was referring to.

 

[Wonderlic]

Sports editor Dave Ammenheuser and two of his assistants have had their positions eliminated, which is beyond ridiculous. Dave does incredible, ambitious work, and you'd think any top-shelf outlet would be thrilled to have a leader and journalist of his caliber.

 

[Alma]

Reading just the first few paragraphs has already got a "translating corporate bull**** response" writeup dancing through my head, along these lines.

"We are bringing dynamic changes to our newsroom."

Translation: "We are cutting jobs and laying off people, while making those who remain do more work, while having to train the cheaper replacements we brought in."

Ha. Yep.

And those cheaper replacements last about 3 years before they say screw it and go write press releases for insurance agencies.

 

[Fredrick]

Sports editor Dave Ammenheuser and two of his assistants have had their positions eliminated, which is beyond ridiculous. Dave does incredible, ambitious work, and you'd think any top-shelf outlet would be thrilled to have a leader and journalist of his caliber.

So did the sports editor and the two assistants do anything besides think-tanking? Did they do layout or ? I'm just trying to figure out how you can lay off those three positions.
My guess is some muckety-muck will "run" the sports department and they've added the columnist and UT writer. The problem, if I'm reading this correctly, is somebody who doesn't know squat about sports will be demanding these poor sports writers/columnists go to incessant numbers of meetings and pretty much drive them insane as they try to do their jobs.
So again ... what did these 3 editors do? Was it all planning, etc?, that the executive editor thinks some news editor can tackle easily? What's going on there?

 

[SixToe]

Translation: "We are cutting jobs and laying off people, while making those who remain do more work, while having to train the cheaper replacements we brought in."

Just like in Alabama.

 

[DanOregon]

Anyone new to the biz, if you read a memo like this at any time...start sending out resumes. Gannett has been touting the "journalism of the future" for 20 years. If it hasn't happened already. It won't.

 

[Second Thoughts]

Every buzzword known to man can be found here:

http://www.tennessean.com/story/news/local/2014/08/05/tennessean-unveils-bold-new-structure-for-newsroom/13622987/

So true. Feel free to create your own translations.
"Highly engaged group": Read: Fewer staff will work harder.
"redefined jobs" Read: Lower paying.
(Newsrooms jobs) "Changing dramatically" Read: People in the wrong positions.
"Ambitious project" Read: Throwing **** on the wall to see what sticks
"Newsroom of the future" Read: Fewer staff, less quality.
"Exciting new structure" Read: CEO will get a bonus.
"Scientific principles" Read: Hits on digital articles
"YOUR needs and wants" Read: You like the Kardashians? Here ya go.

 

[Morris816]

Reading just the first few paragraphs has already got a "translating corporate bull**** response" writeup dancing through my head, along these lines.

"We are bringing dynamic changes to our newsroom."

Translation: "We are cutting jobs and laying off people, while making those who remain do more work, while having to train the cheaper replacements we brought in."

Ha. Yep.

And those cheaper replacements last about 3 years before they say screw it and go write press releases for insurance agencies.

In corporate bull**** speak, that is "exciting opportunities for advancement."

 

[boundforboston]

Does anybody else feel that "our employees will have the opportunity to choose the jobs they want to apply for" mean bad things?

 

[Baron Scicluna]

Anyone new to the biz, if you read a memo like this at any time...start sending out resumes. Gannett has been touting the "journalism of the future" for 20 years. If it hasn't happened already. It won't.

I thought counting minorities in the stories was the journalism of the future? It's not? What about something about Real Life, Real News? Or giving a new nickname to the newsroom? Something like ... I know... an Information Center! This is going to take some blue balls to implement.

 

[Baron Scicluna]

Does anybody else feel that "our employees will have the opportunity to choose the jobs they want to apply for" mean bad things?

I think it would be hysterical if everyone applied for the EE's job.

 

[BTExpress]

Does anybody else feel that "our employees will have the opportunity to choose the jobs they want to apply for" mean bad things?

Heck, I can "choose to apply for" the position of Chief Cardiac Surgeon at the Mayo Clinic. Means nothing.

 

[HejiraHenry]

A bit of a reality check here. I don't think Dave Ammenheuser has much to worry about. Everyone is having to reapply for jobs, but his principal patron - the who brought him there from Riverside - isn't one of those having to reapply for her job.

FYI: Among the people spared this absurd process is David Climer. He and a couple of other non-sports columnists got the get-out-of-jail-free card.

But the reapplying process is just kabuki theater. They decided who they were going to keep and who they were going to cut long before this process tipped today. That's how they roll.

 

[steveu]

Having seen the Advance process up close, a lot of familiar names will go... but a lot of names will also stay. That was the biggest thing I worried about. Would our staff be all new and consist of novices?

It didn't turn out that way. It's smaller, of course, but there are a lot of veteran names.

Per Romenesko: Five Gannett papers are in on this "newsroom of the future" project, including Asheville and Pensacola. I checked to see if Detroit would be involved, since they haven't been "butterflied" as of yet, but the Freep looks like they're out of this.

 

[disgruntledgrunt]

Every buzzword known to man can be found here:

http://www.tennessean.com/story/news/local/2014/08/05/tennessean-unveils-bold-new-structure-for-newsroom/13622987/

Shallow Stefanie strikes. To call her an empty suit is an insult to empty suits everywhere.
I am sure she believes she did a wonderful job with selling this, because of all the cutesy buzzwords she found she could use.

 

[HejiraHenry]

Having seen the Advance process up close, a lot of familiar names will go... but a lot of names will also stay. That was the biggest thing I worried about. Would our staff be all new and consist of novices?

It didn't turn out that way. It's smaller, of course, but there are a lot of veteran names.

Per Romenesko: Five Gannett papers are in on this "newsroom of the future" project, including Asheville and Pensacola. I checked to see if Detroit would be involved, since they haven't been "butterflied" as of yet, but the Freep looks like they're out of this.

I think we have the five, then: Nashville, Asheville, Pensacola, Greenville (S.C.) and one of the Jersey papers.